By NAN
The Isolo Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Lagos State has called for better support for Road Traffic Crash (RTC) victims and their families.
The Unit Commander, Chief Route Commander, Uko O Uko, made the call at the 2024 World Day of Remembrance for RTC Victims on Sunday at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Okeafa, Lagos.
Uko said it was also imperative to acknowledge the crucial work of emergency services, draw attention to the generally trivial legal response to culpable road deaths and injuries and advocate for an appropriately serious response
He added that it was also important to promote evidence-based actions to prevent and eventually stop further road traffic deaths and injuries.
According to him, the remembrance of RTC victims is an annual event in line with the Resolutions of the African Union Executive Council and the United Nations.
Uko enjoined Nigerians, as a matter of duty, to download the FRSC Mobile App on their phones as it comes in handy with several user-friendly features.
FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, noted that road safety had become a global public health issue since the occurrence of the first automobile accident in 1869.
he said that Nigeria, being the largest country in Africa, was impacted more by the negative effect of RTC as a result of her young population.
“On the statistics of RTC, last year, 5,081 people were killed and 31,874 injured in 10, 617 cases and between January and September 2024, 3,767 were killed in 7,011 RTC cases and 22, 373 persons injured.
“The theme for this year’s World Day of Remembrance for RTC Victims is ‘That Day’, and the theme was carefully crafted to tell the stories of That Day when traffic collisions stopped or changed the course of the victim’s lives forever.
“The adoption of a Safe System Approach to road safety has led to the development of the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy (NRSS), 2021- 2030.
“The FRSC Mobile App and the National Crash Reporting Information System (NACRIS) was recently launched by FRSC to further engage the motoring public, as well as obtain the single version of truth in crash data reporting,” he quoted the corps marshall saying,” he said.
The Vicar of the Church, Venerable Emmanuel Umeh, appreciated the Corps for their work at safeguarding the roads.
He prayed for the management of FRSC for greater wisdom and more fruitful innovations for the betterment of Nigerians.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a minute silence was observed for victims of RTC during the service. Thereafter, flyers with diverse inscriptions and road safety messages were shared with the congregation.
In attendance at the church service were Special Marshals; a volunteer arm of FRSC.
